Consulting is something I'd always been curious to try but wary about because of the lifestyle and inconsistency. I'd always been told that it's physically demanding because consultants are expected to travel up to 100%, which in business, implies Monday-Thursday on the client site and Friday at the home office. On the other hand, mentors and panelists have shared that consulting is great for entry-level professionals because of the opportunity to learn a lot very quickly - varying roles in varying industries.

However, like anything new, there's a lot to discover once you're on the actual job. During the time I was a design consultant at IBM iX, I observed many elements that make consulting truly different from any other line of business. Below, I present 5 things I wish I knew about consulting.

I asked to speak to my manager. Our conversation began with "how are you?" followed by the usual agenda of going over client meetings, work distribution, and future team reorganization. Before he delved too deeply into work matter, I mustered up the courage to inject, "Since you mentioned team reorganization, I actually want to let you know that I found an opportunity in Seattle and I anticipate that next Friday will be my last day at IBM."

Silence. Shock. "Oh OK... Congratulations! I'll talk to the studio lead to figure out what the formal resignation process is."

After graduating from the Human Centered Design & Engineering department at the University of Washington, I interned at Avvo, which ended nearly 3 weeks ago. I am now reflecting on my experience after recently returning from a 20-year family reunion in Vietnam – an experience that was highly encouraged and supported by the UX family at Avvo.

To accommodate my family reunion, my internship went from a busy 10-weeks to a busier 6-weeks. This in itself shows how much Avvo cares about its employees’ interests while balancing its GSD (get shit done) value, regardless of whether you’re an intern or not.

The photo to the right was taken almost 4 years ago at my high school graduation. At that time, I knew that for the next 4 years, I was going to study at the University of Washington, live in McMahon Hall, and pursue an engineering degree. I graduated with honors and felt like I had a good idea of my future. All I had to do was work towards it. I was excited to graduate because of the incredible journey ahead.

4 years later, I can't say that I have the same excited feeling to graduate from college. First, I'm going to miss college. I genuinely like school, learning something new everyday, and the autonomy that comes with college. But more importantly, I'm not mentally ready to graduate.

I used to be futuristic perfectionist. But while in college, I have learned to be easy on myself in order to enjoy the moment and to maintain sanity. I used to overly plan to avoid procrastination because I thought getting things done early would relieve stress. But I quickly realized that doing that very action was the source of my stressor. I was so busy getting ahead of deadlines, that I was missing out on moments. Now, I worry that I may have been too easy on myself, and in the mean time, lost my inner strength along the way.

I'm now faced with graduation in 32 days with no long-term plan after. For the last 16 years, my goal was to earn a college degree. But this is the first time I feel like I don't know what's in store for my future, and I don't know how to react to it. College prepared me with writing, research, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills, but it did not prepare me with life skills. How do you approach a new chapter in life?

​The struggles of finding junior UX design positions

Inspired by a need for self-reflection and a podcast — The Grind — that I’ve been helping my mentor generate content for (it’s not yet published), I am writing to share the struggles that I’ve been facing as a graduating senior seeking entry-level, UX Design positions in a tech city, Seattle. This is by no means, a cry for pity or an attempt to get my name out to recruiters. By sharing the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on, I hope to:​

Break the taboo of the job search talk.

Inspire others to share their failures so that we can all learn from and help each other.

Help others realize that they’re not alone.

​Since September, I’ve applied to over 100 UX design positions in the West Coast (with a majority in the greater Puget Sound region), attended 10 career fairs, interviewed with 12 companies, but haven’t received an offer.

I've always been a very curious and reflective person, and this blog serves as place for me to track and share some of those thoughts. Lately, I've been sharing more about travel, so follow along if you're interested in learning tips & tricks or just want inspo.